CURRENT NEWS

PROFESSOR GUILLEMIN CLIMBS TOWER FOR MND

Professor Gilles Guillemin from the Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research has been given a rare opportunity to participate in this year’s Firies Climb For MND. The event will see fire fighters from around the country climb the Sydney Tower in full uniform to raise money to find a cure for MND. The funds raised go directly to fund the research at Macquarie University.

Gilles is training very hard to climb the 98 storeys (1504 stairs) in full structural uniform – including an oxygen tank that weighs 20kg. He needs our help to reach his $5000 target and there are only a few days left! Please support Gilles by donating here.

CLARIFYING THE USE OF TRANSVAGINAL MESH

Recent media coverage of the use of transvaginal mesh may have been confusing, and perhaps caused unnecessary concern amongst women. Urologist Dr Vincent Tse says that the difference between prolapse and incontinence is the key to understanding the controversy.

“Transvaginal mesh in the form of slings is safe for incontinence,” he says. “However, it should not be used as a first-line treatment for pelvic organ prolapse. The use of mesh for treating this type of prolapse needs further research with clinical innovation and refinement of the mesh and implanting techniques before it can be safely used.”

Women should always see an appropriately qualified specialist and multiple treatment options should always be presented to women for either condition.

GET CHECKED!

MQ Health now offers no-referral breast implant checks through its new Breast Implant Check Clinic, located in the MQ Health Clinic Building (adjacent to Macquarie University Hospital). The clinic offers women immediate access to a specialist service that aims to identify breast implant-related problems early. The latest evidence suggests that women with breast implants should receive annual lifelong check-ups.

ADVANCED TREATMENT FOR ‘HOLE IN THE HEART’

Macquarie University Hospital has taken another step forward in its structural heart program with proceduralists successfully closing Atrial Septal Defects (ASDs) and Patent Foramen Ovales (PFOs) percutaneously. The minimally invasive procedure brings great benefits to patients.

BLADDER RECONSTRUCTION WITH ROBOTIC-ASSISTED SURGERY

Reconstructing a new bladder using a robotic approach is available for patients who have had their bladder removed. Urological surgeons at Macquarie University Hospital perform both stages of this procedure robotically. They first remove the bladder, along with the uterus and ovaries. They then create a sphere-shaped pouch using the patient’s own small intestinal tissue inside the body, and attach it to the kidney and to the urethra.

“This is fantastic minimally invasive procedure, which also has greater precision,” says Professor David Gillatt, Professor of Urological Oncology and Robotic Surgery at MUH. “It’s an innovative stand-alone procedure that sees patients up and about within a day – much faster than after open surgery.”